rowland



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. E. ROWLAND. FBLTBD HEAD WEAR.

N0. 554,378-.- Patentedlfeb. 11, 1896.

a? L 15 6's I enorp- J MMw /M 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

B. E. ROWLAND. EELTED HEAD WEAR.

No. 554,378.- Patentedl eb. 11, 1.896.

ANDREW BYGRAHAMFMDYO LITHO WASHINGTOILDC ihvrrn STATES ATENT Enron,

EVA EIOKEMEYER ROWLAND, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

FELTED HEAD WEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,378, dated February 11, 1896.

Application filed o r '7, 1893. Serial No. 487,486. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EVA EICKEMEYER Row- LAND, of Yonkers, in the county of Vestchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Felted Head Wear for Ladies, Misses, and Children; and I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connection with the drawings furnished and forming a part of the same, is a clear, true, and complete description of my invention.

The objects of my invention are to provide a comparatively inexpensive and serviceable line of fall and winter hats, bonnets,'orhoods in various forms, styles, or designs and to enable the same to be economically produced or developed from soft-felted hat-bodies by providing each body with certain guiding media for enabling comparatively unskilled persons to readily develop such hat-body into a hat -having apredetermined form, style, or design, and, further, in some cases to enable a single hat-body to be readily developed into a hat in any one of several predetermined forms, each in fact constituting a separate and distinct style or design.

The advantages of my invention will be available not only to persons W110 may purchase such goods for their own or their childrens use, but also to manufacturers,whether they send to market the hat-bodies or the hats trimmed or untrimmed, because in either case the guiding media, in accordance with my invention, assure prompt and ready developin ent of the hat-bodies into intended predetermined forms, styles, or designs at the hands of comparatively unskilled persons.

To the ends recited the main feature of my invention consists in a hat-body having variously-located guide-marks in pairs, series or groups, so that when any one guide-mark, as by folding or pinching thefelt together, is made to register with one or more of the marks in its own pair or group and aunion of the felt made at that point, at least one element in the intended form or design will have been secured, and also so that when the guide-marks of each pair or group are thus registered and the folded felt tied or united at the several points the hat'body will have been developed in the style or design predetermined by the several guide-marks.

1 Another feature of my invention consists in a hat-body having different sets of the said folding guide-marks, so that one hat-body may be developed into either of the styles or forms of hat which may have been predetermined by the guidemarks-as, for instance, so that a hat-bodyby way of one of its sets of guide-marks could be developed into a hat suitable for use by a mother and which after awhile, by way of another set of guide-marks, could be readily converted into a form or style of hat only suitable for a child, it being practicable to thus provide for developing several distinct styles of hat from the one hatbody.

Inasmuch as the gist of the main feature of my invention will be embodied in a hat-body having suitable guide'marks in groups, or series, or pairs, for so guiding the operations of folding or pinching and uniting the felt as to assure a predetermined form of hat, it will be obviously immaterial in what manner or form said guide-marks may be produced so long as they serve the purposes indicated.

Said marks maybe merely spots of color contrasting with the color of the hat-body, but with a view to the ready, convenient, and economical formation of hats. Another feature of myinvention consists in a hat-body having perforated guide-marks, so that when the appropriate perforations have been made to register with each other, the union of the felt can be at once effected by the use of any suitable tying medium, preferably of the wellknown paper-fastener types. In places where the fasteners can be concealed ordinary metallic fasteners may be used, but speciallyadapted fasteners will often be desirable, the same having either plain or ornamental heads, and in some cases the heads may be in part composed of felt cut or folded in symmetrical forms. The character of the perforated guidemarks may also be widely varied-as, for instance, they may be small holes, as cut by a punch, either round, square, or triangular, or they may be straight or curved, or cross-slits in the felt, in either case providing for the ready application of a tying medium, whether of the paper-fastener variety or twine or ribbon, the latter, in some cases, being specially desirable. The slitted perforations, although discernible as guide-marks, will, when not in actual use, be so closed as to obviate defacing the hat, although generally any unused guidemarks can be well covered by the usual trimming, and, if not, they can be occupied by a fastener having an ornamentalhead, or a felt rosette.

It will obviously be quite impracticable to herein describe, or to illustrate in the drawings, the numerous desirable transformations of hat-bodies into hats, which I have thus far conceived of, in accordance with my invention. This specification will therefore be re stricted to a description of three transformations, which will no doubt enable persons skilled in such matters to fully comprehend my invention, and to not only practice the same on the lines specially indicated, but also enable them to readily enlarge thereon in various directions as to matters of form and design, without any substantial departure from the spirit of my invention,

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates, in separate views, opposite sides of a flattened hat-body with the front and rear lines located at the edges, as indicated. Fig. 2 in like manner illustrates the same hatbody oppositely flattened, the front and rear portions being clearly indicated, these figures illustrating the use on one hat-body of three sets of guide-marks for enabling it to be readily developed into a hat in either of three separate predetermined forms or designs. Fig. 3, in front and side views, illustrates one of said designs, the other two being similarlyillustrated in Figs& and 5. Fig. 6 illustrates a piece of felt provided with various kinds or form-s of guide -marks; and Figs. 7 to 10, inclusive, illustrate various forms of tying or fastening devices, each in side and top views.

It is well known that felted hat-bodies are normally in conical form, as shown at A, Figs. 1 and 2, and it is in this form that I prefer to use them, because in most cases it is desirable to retain the conical tip, and also with a View to economy in avoiding the cost of stretching and blocking, and, although an unstretched and unblocked or conical hatbody embodying myi-mprovement constitutes a'novel and valuable feature of my invention, I do not restrict my invention thereto, inasmuch as variations in the form of a hatbody, as by stretching or blocking, or both, would involve no departure from the main feature of my invention, it being obvious that one such variation will be at times specially desirableas, for instance, in the development of a rudimentary brim, or an unequal or irregular enlargement at the tip, at front or rear; or further, in the formation of bulbous enlargements at one or more points upon the side crown.

Hat-bodies, as ordinarily produced in the manufacture of mens hats, are well suited for my purposes, although, as little or no stretching or blocking is required, the bodies can belighterin weight than usual. Although pounced surfaces are generally desirable, the bodies are sometimes .fleeced or napped in whole or in part, and sometimes left n11- pounced, and for specially rustic styles the bodies should retain the hair, which is ordinarily pulled from the felt.

Now referring to Figs. 1 and 2 it is to be understood that the four views disclose three sets of folding guide-marks, designated 1) Z) W, and so on through the Z) series, 0 0 c and so on through the a series, and cl d (1 &c., through the (Z series; but some of the marks perform duty in more than one set.

Next referring to the womans hat B, (sh own,

in front and side views in Fig. 3,) it will be seen that this design can be and is readily developed from the conical form by using the guidemarks of the 1) series, of which the marks I), 1), b and b are on the front line and the marks I) and b on the rear line. In this instance all of the front-line group of guidemarks are made to register by folding the felt into four thicknesses, as indicated, it then being only necessary to apply the tying or fastening medium, which in this instance is a metallic fastener provided with a star-shaped ornament, which may be composed of felt, either of the same color as the hat-body or contrasting therewith, if desired. The rear portion of this hat is developed by registering the guide-marks b and b and applying a fastener which secures the upward fold in position, the rear and front folds thus formed causing at the sides of the hat a rounded line, beneath which the felt inclines downwardly and inwardly in symmetrical form.

Now, referring to the childs hat 0, (shown in side and front views in Fig. 4,) it'will be seen that its design involves a radical departure from the lines of the hat Fig. 3, although developed from the same body. In this case the central front portion of the body is pinched or folded inwardly and the guide-marks b andb made to register with each other, a fastener being then applied inside of the hat. A rear upward fold is also made, so as to cause the guide-mark c to register with c, and the mark 0 with 0 fasteners being then applied, thus securing the felt in position at the two sides of the hat near its lower edge, saidfasteners having rosette heads. It will be seen that the front upper line of this hat can be readily varied without departing from the design-as, for instance, for increasing the height of the cone and lessening the front or brim the guide-marks b and b should be registered with each other.

Next referring to thechilds hat or hood D, Fig. 5, it will be seen that a still more radical variation in form or design is involved, which requires certain additional guide-marks of the (Z series, although therewith some of the b and 0 series are employed. The pair of guide-marks (Z (1, located near the front line, but oneach side thereof, when registered with each other with the felt pinched inwardly, secures a symmetrical fold located at the top of IIO the hat, extending rearwardly. The tip of the cone is inclined forwardly and downwardly by pinching the felt inwardly and causing the guide-mark d to register with the mark 19 and on having a fastener applied symmetrical bends are secured at each side of the point of union, as indicated. A front rearward fold is assured by registering and fastening the guide-marks d and d at one side and at d d on the other side, these being similar to and near the guide-marks c c and c 0 which in this case, as before, do duty in securing the upward rear fold of the felt.

Vertical folds at the sides and rear of the hat are desirable, and these are formed by pinching the felt inwardly, causing the marks (Z (Z and (Z (Z to be registered in pairs, and applying fasteners as described.

It will be obvious that my invention extends to and includes any arrangement of guidemarks by means of which any one particular form of hat can be predetermined, and so that an unskilled person may readily follow said marks and produce the intended hat, and this, too, whether a hat-body be provided with one, two, or more sets of guide-marks. It will also be obvious, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 4c and 5, that when a hat-body is provided with only a single set of guide-marks the details of any given design may be quite largely varied from the details of the same general design when provided for by one of several sets of guide-marks on the same hat body.

Whether one or more sets of marks are applied to one body they can be readily located and applied by the use either of a flat erforated templet, as 011 a flatly-folded body, or by a conical templet, as when the hat-body is supported on a conical block. These templets being either of wood, paper, or metal,and appropriately perforated, will serve as stencils when color is used, or as gages for the use of punches or slitting-cutters in producing perforated guide-marks.

Referring now to Fig. 6, a piece of felt A is shown provided with a variety of guidemarks, that at 6 being a circular spot of color.

The mark 6 is a circular hole, as from an ordinary punch. Mark (2 is a short straight out or slit in the felt. Mark 6 is a curved slit, and the mark a is a cross-cut or double slit. Either or all of these guide-marks may be employed advantageously 011 one hat-body. All of the slitted forms, when not actually used, will scarcely be noticeable in the hat, and need not be covered by trimming or occupied by an ornamental fastener, as is usually desirable with the unused marks 6. For clearly pairing those marks which are to register with each other they may be alike, the several pairs or groups being different from each other.

As hereinbefore indicated, securing devices of the paper-fastener type will generally be desired, Whether the guide-marks be perforated ornot. The ordinary T-shaped fastener is shown in Fig. 7 and the round-head fastener in Fig. 8.

The requirement in some cases for specially -ornamental eifects will be met by the use of a fastener provided with a rosette-head, as shown in Fig. 9, or by the use of felt'in fanciful forms, one of which is illustrated in Fig. 10, wherein a star composed of felt constitutes a part of the head of the fastener.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A felted hat-body having a set of guidemarks, in several pairs or groups, substantially as hereinbefore described, for enabling one of several predetermined forms or styles of hat to be formed, by causing appropriate guide-marks to register with each other and uniting the felt at said registered marks.

2. A felted hat body having perforated guide-marks in groups or pairs, substantially as hereinbefore described, whereby on registering appropriate perforations with each other, and applying a fastening device, a predetermined form of hat may be readily and economically produced.

EVA EIOKEMEYER ROWLAND. WVitnesses:

HENRY OSTERHELD, JOHN L. CLARK. 

